MeGF ManGF

Now that Mega May is over, I thought I'd examine some old Mega Man games by resurrecting an old feature: GFGF! Also known as Greatest Friggin' Game in the Franchise, where I decide which game in a series is the absolute best. So which Mega Man is superior?

Mega Man was a staple of the NES library. All six of the original games were fantastically well done. There were plenty of interesting bosses, loads of ear-catching music, and difficulty out the wazoo. Capcom even recently created Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10 for Wii that looked exactly the same as the NES games. And I mean exactly. They even made the screen flicker when there are too many enemies on the screen. That rules.

The basis of a Mega Man game is simple: there are 8 (or so) bosses, each with their own themed level. Once you finish the level and beat the boss, you gain their power. Some bosses are more susceptible to certain weapons than others, so it's to your benefit to do the levels in a certain order. So if you know you have to fight an ice boss and a fire boss, you might want to gain the fire weapon first.

It's kind of amazing to think of how many Mega Man bosses there have been over the years. They should make an epic Mega Man game with all of these bosses and levels. Would probably only take a year or two to beat.

But out of all of these games, one stands supreme. Many people believe that Mega Man 2 is the greatest friggin' game in the franchise. And while it is good, there is another that is better: Mega Man 3.

Mega Man 3 took everything great about Mega Man 2 and added some new features, like the ability to slide along the ground. This, combined with an epic soundtrack, battles with Proto Man, and awesome levels makes it the pinnacle of the Mega Man universe.

It's hard to top the boss lineup in this game: Gemini Man, Magnet Man, Shadow Man, and more. Plus, Mega Man's trusty robo-dog Rush makes his debut in the game. No more worrying about getting to high places, or across large gaps, or through water passages. Rush can do it all!

Yes, it's difficult, like all Mega Man games, but that doesn't detract from the fun. Yeah, you'll have to play certain levels over and over again (or use save points) to finish them. And you'll probably throw a controller or two (or your 3DS or Wii U GamePad). But that's all part of the fun, right?! Playing games that are nearly impossible really brings back the feeling of the 80's, ya know? But hey, it could be worse. You could be playing Wizardy. Or something else.

So, without any further adieu, I present the GFGF award for the Mega Man series to Mega Man 3. May your weapons be powerful and your enemies weak.